Build a plywood shooting board & two bench hooks. To go with the beginner’s pine workbench project.
Best uses for a shooting board
When used together these two workbench jigs will give you perfect square ends to any part. Generally, in furniture making we are making individual components square. End grain to long grain. A mortise and tenon joint for example, or a dovetail joint end grain to face grain. All components need to be flat and square.
The bench hooks are used to saw the timber to length. Followed by using a shooting board to create a perfect flat and square edge to join to. A well-made shooting board like this, will give you consistent square edges every time for a long time.
Cutting list for bench Hooks
- Bench Hook base 18mm plywood. 375mm Long. 150mm wide X2
- Stops for top edge 18mm plywood. 135mm long. 45mm wide X2
- Stops for hooking on bench 18mm plywood. 150mm long. 45mm wide X2
Nothing complicated here if the base is perfectly square. Mark a pencil line 45mm in from the top edge. Spread glue over the base up to the pencil line and glue the 18mm plywood stop to the base. Do this to both bases and leave to dry.
Once the glue is dry repeat the process to the full width stop. This will hook against your bench. Once dried drill a pilot hole with a countersink bit from the underside of the bench hook. Add a few screws to make sure the stop is secure.
Building the shooting board
What’s important and a neat feature. Is to have your bench hooks and shooting board stops all at the same distance. Making shooting end grain on longer parts easier.
Cutting list for shooting board
- Base. 18mm plywood. 505mm Long. 360mm Wide
- Shooting bed. 18mm plywood. 505mm long. 275mm wide
- Shooting stop. Wood: beech. 275mm Long. 30mm X 30mm Hook for bench. 360mm Long. 45mm wide.
The simplicity in the build of this project relies on the parts being square. Lay the 9mm plywood shooting bed onto the 18mm base and draw a pencil line down the length. Remove the 9mm plywood and spread glue on the base shy of the pencil line. You don’t need clamps. Wiggle the plywood’s together first. Then use a square to set into place.
The shooting stop is 330mm in from the base this should be the same distance in as the bench hooks. Glue in place, it’s best to place a square referenced of the fence edge when doing this. The stop and the fence must be a perfect 90 degree for the shooting board to work.
Do the same for the 18mm plywood stop on the underside. Countersink and drill in some screws. Lightly sand all the edges except the shooting stop keep that edge crisp.
Another jig that’s good and such a useful item to have is the long grain shooting board. This one relies on the benchtop being flat. These boards can be as long as you need them to be. I have an 800mm & a 1200mm. It’s not often that I’m planning pieces longer than 1000mm. For short stock 200mm or less I use the normal shooting board.
Thanks for reading
Best Matt North
This shooting board build is part of the beginner’s series and belongs with these two projects
Project 1. Beginners pine workbench project & plans
project 2. Ash carpenter toolchest project & plans
